14/10/2022 | Session
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) during its Autumn plenary session (Strasbourg, 10 to 14 October 2022). The Assembly also held an urgent debate on "Further escalation in the Russian Federation's aggression against Ukraine...
14/10/2022 | Monitoring
The adoption yesterday of the so-called disinformation law by the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye is “yet another worrying step back for freedom of speech and the media in Türkiye”, said John Howell (United Kingdom, EC/DA) and Boriss Cilevics (Latvia, SOC), co-rapporteurs for the monitoring of...
14/10/2022 | Session
The starting position for a vaccine is that “it should not automatically be generally mandatory”, but this may sometimes be appropriate, for example for special professions such as those exposed to vulnerable populations, PACE has said. Approving a resolution on preventing vaccine discrimination...
13/10/2022 | Culture, Science, Education and Media
Participants at a PACE public hearing on workers’ rights in Qatar, held just a month before the 2022 World Cup kicks off, have agreed that reforms introduced as a result of the tournament have resulted in significant improvements for workers in the country – but that much more needs to be done...
13/10/2022 | President
“Today, we see the historically important results of dialogue in Europe, between Europeans. We see actions that have made Europe unprecedentedly stronger. Never yet in history was united Europe as strong as it is today. So, focus on everything that is needed to prevent the Russian terrorists from...
13/10/2022 | Session
PACE has strongly condemned the attempted annexation of Ukrainian regions by Russia, describing the so-called referendums in these regions as “an affront to international law” and “null and void, with no legal or political effects”. The Assembly was debating a report by Emanuelis Zingeris...
13/10/2022 | Monitoring
"We are concerned by the numerous reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by the armed forces of Azerbaijan”, said Kimmo Kiljunen (Finland, SOC) and Boriana Åberg (Sweden, EPP/CD), co-rapporteurs of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) for the monitoring of...
13/10/2022 | Session
“We cannot escape a truth, dear colleagues: a backlash is going on in Europe. Populists and enemies of human rights and democracy are making use of those who are most vulnerable,” Max Lucks (Germany, SOC) said today, opening a current affairs debate on Threatened bans of Pride events in Council...
13/10/2022 | Session
PACE said there was an urgent need to prevent gender-based violence, sexism, discrimination and gender stereotypes in the world of sport, promote gender equality, invest in sport for all, and put an end to the invisibility of women and girls in this field. In adopting a resolution, based on the...
13/10/2022 | Session
According to the PACE, Romania has made significant progress toward its compliance with Council of Europe standards since its accession, in areas crucial for the functioning of democratic institutions, including the judiciary and the fight against corruption. It welcomed, in particular, the...
13/10/2022 | Session
PACE has urged the United Kingdom to ensure that Brexit does not result in any diminution of rights for the people of Northern Ireland, warning that the withdrawal from the European Union has “reignited deep-seated tensions in Northern Irish society, furthering political division and contributing...
13/10/2022 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights
Europe can learn “useful lessons” from the experience of prisons during the Covid pandemic, continuing to use alternatives to detention to reduce the prison population and ease overcrowding, according to PACE’s Legal Affairs Committee. In a draft resolution based on a report by Givi Mikanadze...